Tankless beverage brewing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A tankless beverage brewing apparatus that includes a digital controller for dynamically varying the water temperature and/or the brew flow rate of the dispensed beverage is disclosed. In some embodiments, a main supply line of the tankless beverage brewing apparatus includes a pressure reducer, a pressure sensor, a linear heater, a temperature sensor, and a spray valve; all supplying a hot water spray head and/or a hot water spigot. The inlet of the main supply line of the tankless beverage brewing apparatus may be connected directly to the local cold water supply. The controller uses feedback from the temperature sensor and/or the pressure sensor to dynamically vary the water temperature and/or the brew flow rate depending on the type of beverage being brewed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The presently disclosed subject matter relates generally to beveragebrewing systems and methods and more particularly to a tankless beveragebrewing apparatus that includes a digital controller for dynamicallyvarying the temperature and/or flow rate of the dispensed beverage.

BACKGROUND

With the huge popularity of coffee and tea in society, there is a demandfor greater variety in these beverages. Some of the more commonvarieties of coffee include, for example, Colombian, French Roast, Kona,and Costa Rican. Some of the more common tea varieties include, forexample, Black, Oolong, Green, and White. The preferred watertemperature for coffee varies from about 195° F. to about 205° F.,whereas the preferred water temperatures for the various types of teacan vary from about 140° F. for high quality green tea to about 208° F.for black tea.

To accommodate these temperature variations, there are severalprogrammable commercial beverage brewing machines available in themarket. To operate these units, the programmable features allow a userto select different water temperatures for different types of beverages.Standard commercial brewers typically consist of a large water tankplumbed into the local water system. Because cold water from the tap isunder far too much pressure for brewing beverages, the tank is filledand then the connection to the water system is closed. Then the water inthe tank is heated to the programmed temperature by means of a largeheating coil mounted inside the tank. When the water reaches the correcttemperature a valve is opened allowing water to flow out of the tankfrom a point approximately one sixth of the distance from the top of thetank. The water then flows from the tank to a spray valve, which wetsthe coffee or tea. This water is gravity fed and is of a low enoughpressure to allow for brewing. After approximately one sixth of the tankhas been emptied, the valve is closed, the tank is refilled with coldwater, and the cycle repeats until the desired amount of beverage hasbeen brewed.

One disadvantage of this type of system is that the large water tanktakes a long time to heat. Therefore, it is kept at either the brewingtemperature or a slightly lower standby temperature at all times. Thiswastes a tremendous amount of energy. Another disadvantage is aninability to quickly change water temperature from one beveragetemperature to another. On-demand or instant heaters are known for usein beverage systems. Such on-demand or instant heaters are generallydefined as heating assemblies that are able to provide an accurate watertemperature without requiring a pre-warming time. Typically, a watertank supplies the heater via a water pump controlled by a controllerthat also controls the heater. However, most beverage brewers withon-demand or instant heaters, and that are plumbed into local watersupplies, still require use of a tank of some kind due to the high waterpressure in most local water supply lines. In such beverage systems thetank is required to initially receive the higher pressure water from thelocal water supply line, and where from there it may be gravity fed tothe brewing material, at a much lower pressure.

However, because of the complexity involved in these systems, they areoften limited to single cup beverage dispensers. Therefore, newapproaches are needed for providing variable water temperature inbrewing machines that are capable of brewing large, commercialquantities of beverages.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a tankless beverage brewing apparatus is provided.The tankless beverage brewing apparatus may include a controller; a flowpath having an inlet at one end connected to a local water supply andone or more outlets at a second end connected to one or more waterdelivery mechanisms; a spray valve positioned in the flow path; apressure reducer positioned in the flow path; a heater arranged along aportion of the flow path and thermally coupled thereto such that waterin the flow path is heated when the heater is activated; a pressuresensor positioned in the flow path operable to sense a pressure of thewater in the flow path; and a temperature sensor positioned in the flowpath operable to sense a temperature of the water along the portion ofthe flow path where the heater is arranged there along; and wherein oneor more of the spray valve, heater, pressure sensor, and temperaturesensor are electrically connected to the controller. The controller maybe operable for dynamically varying at least one of water temperatureand flow rate of water through the one or more water deliverymechanisms, by controlling at least one of the spray valve and heater.The controller may dynamically vary one or more of water temperature andflow rate based on feedback from one or more of the temperature sensorand pressure sensor. The heater may include a linear heating element andmay be controllable by the controller. The one or more water deliverymechanisms may include at least one of a spray head and a spigot. Theone or more water delivery mechanisms may be electrically connected tothe controller. The flow path may include an inlet line connected at oneend to the local water supply and coupled to an inlet of the pressurereducer at the other end; a main supply line coupled to an outlet of thepressure reducer at one end and coupled to an inlet of the spray valveat the other end; an outlet line coupled to an outlet of the spray valveat one end and coupled to an inlet of the one or more water deliverymechanisms at the other end. The pressure sensor may be positioned inthe flow path at a point between the pressure reducer and the one ormore delivery mechanisms. The pressure sensor may be positioned in theflow path at a point between the flow path inlet and the pressurereducer. The spray valve is at least one of electrically and manuallycontrolled. The heater comprises a flow through on-demand heater. Theapparatus may further include a user interface electrically connected tothe controller. The user interface may include at least one of a displayand user inputs. The user inputs may include at least one of buttons ora touchscreen. The user via the user interface may at least one of turnthe apparatus off and on, select a type of beverage to be brewed, entera brew temperature, initiate a brewing, suspend a brewing, program theapparatus, and check health and/or status information of the apparatus.The controller may include at least one a standard controller andmicroprocessor device capable of executing program instructions. Abeverage profiles file may be programmed into the controller, whereinthe beverage profiles file may include at least one of brew flow ratesand brew temperatures for different types of brew beverages. Theapparatus may further include a communications interface connected tothe controller. The communications interface may include at least one ofa wired communications interface and wireless communications interface.The communications interface may be operable for at least one of localand remote access to the controller, wherein the communicationsinterface may be used to at least one of install software updates intothe controller, update beverage profiles file, and monitor the healthand/or status of the apparatus. The controller may control the heaterusing pulse-width modulation (PWM) or other known technique to maintaina desired brew temperature. The controller may control the spray valveto create an intermittent water flow out of the one or more waterdelivery mechanisms. The controller may dynamically control the sprayvalve to vary length and number of pulses of water from the one or morewater delivery mechanisms during a brewing cycle. The at least one ofthe flow rate and temperature may be controlled independently for eachof the one or more water delivery mechanisms. The flow path may includea branch to form a second flow path connected to a second water deliverymechanism at its second end. The apparatus may further include at leastone of a second spray valve, second pressure reducer, second pressuresensor, second temperature sensor, and second heater, wherein the atleast one of the second spray valve, second pressure reducer, secondpressure sensor, and second temperature sensor may be positioned in thesecond flow path and the second heater may be positioned along a portionof the second flow path and thermally coupled thereto. The second sprayvalve, second pressure reducer, second pressure sensor, secondtemperature sensor, and second heater may be monitored and/or controlledindependently and therefore the flow rate and/or water temperature fromthe second water delivery mechanisms may be dynamically controlled bythe controller independently.

In another embodiment a method of operation of a tankless beveragebrewing apparatus is provided. The method may include, fluidlyconnecting the tankless beverage brewing apparatus to a local watersupply via an inlet of a fluid path; reducing the water pressure fromthe local water supply via a pressure reducer positioned in the fluidpath; activating the tankless beverage brewing apparatus and initiatinga beverage brewing cycle for a desired beverage via a user interface;heating water in the flow path to a desired brew temperature of thedesired beverage via a heater controlled by a controller, wherein thecontroller receives feedback from a temperature sensor connectedthereto; controlling water flow rate from the water inlet of the flowpath and out of a water delivery mechanism via the controller based onthe desired beverage, wherein the controller is electrically connectedto a spray valve positioned in the flow path to allow water to flowthrough the flow path, and wherein the controller is also electricallyconnected to a pressure sensor positioned in the flow path to adjustflow rate; and deactivating the heater and closing the spray valve at anend of a predetermined brew time of the desired beverage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described the presently disclosed subject matter in generalterms, reference will now be made to the accompanying Drawings, whichare not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of a tanklessbeverage brewing apparatus that includes a digital controller fordynamically varying the water temperature and/or the brew flow rate andwherein the delivery mechanism is a hot water spray head;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of another example of a tanklessbeverage brewing apparatus that includes a digital controller fordynamically varying the water temperature and/or the brew flow rate andwherein the delivery mechanism is a hot water spigot;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of yet another example of thetankless beverage brewing apparatus of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 that furthercomprises a pressure sensor;

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrate schematic diagrams of yet another exampleof the tankless beverage brewing apparatus, wherein one flow pathsupplies both the hot water spray head and the hot water spigot;

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 illustrate schematic diagrams of still another exampleof the tankless beverage brewing apparatus, wherein the hot water sprayhead and the hot water spigot are supplied by separate flow paths thatare controlled independently; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of an example of a method of operationof the presently disclosed tankless beverage brewing apparatuses.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The presently disclosed subject matter now will be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which some,but not all embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter areshown. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The presentlydisclosed subject matter may be embodied in many different forms andshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein;rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure willsatisfy applicable legal requirements. Indeed, many modifications andother embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which thepresently disclosed subject matter pertains having the benefit of theteachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associatedDrawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the presently disclosedsubject matter is not to be limited to the specific embodimentsdisclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended tobe included within the scope of the appended claims.

In some embodiments, the presently disclosed subject matter provides atankless beverage brewing apparatus that includes a digital controllerfor dynamically varying the water temperature and/or the brew flow rateof the dispensed beverage. The presently disclosed tankless beveragebrewing apparatus is capable of brewing large, commercial quantities ofbeverages as well as single cups of a beverage, and any quantity inbetween such as a teapot.

An aspect of the presently disclosed tankless beverage brewing apparatusis that it includes a controller for dynamically varying the watertemperature and/or flow rate depending on the type of beverage beingbrewed.

Another aspect of the presently disclosed tankless beverage brewingapparatus is that it is supplied directly from the local water supply,the water pressure reduced, and the water heated using an in-lineheater, thereby reducing energy usage as compared with conventionalcommercial beverage brewing systems that typically rely on largeexternal hot water tanks.

Yet another aspect of the presently disclosed tankless beverage brewingapparatus is that it may include temperature feedback mechanisms basedupon which the controller may dynamically control the in-line heater andmaintain the selected water temperature.

Still another aspect of the presently disclosed tankless beveragebrewing apparatus is that it may include water pressure feedbackmechanisms based upon which the controller may dynamically control aspray valve to vary the length and number of pulses during the brewingcycle.

Referring now to FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of atankless beverage brewing apparatus 100 that includes a digitalcontroller 160 for dynamically varying the water temperature and/or thebrew flow rate of the dispensed beverage and wherein the deliverymechanism is a hot water spray head 112. The tankless beverage brewingapparatus 100 comprises a flow path 110 that supplies hot water sprayhead 112. Namely, the flow path 110 comprises in order an inlet line114, a pressure reducer 116, a main supply line 118, a spray valve 120,and an outlet line 122 that supplies the hot water spray head 112.

All components of the flow path 110 are mechanically and fluidlycoupled. More particularly, one end of the inlet line 114 is supplied bya local water supply 105 and more particularly the local cold watersupply. The local water supply 105 is, for example, the local municipalwater supply. The other end of the inlet line 114 is coupled to an inletof the pressure reducer 116. An outlet of the pressure reducer 116 iscoupled to one end of the main supply line 118, while the other end ofthe main supply line 118 is coupled to an inlet of the spray valve 120.An outlet of the spray valve 120 is coupled to one end of the outletline 122, while the other end of the outlet line 122 is coupled to aninlet of the hot water spray head 112.

The inlet line 114, the main supply line 118, and the outlet line 122may be hollow tubing (or hose). The hollow tubing may be formed, forexample, of copper, brass, aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, rubber,other suitable material, or any combinations thereof. In particular, thematerials forming the main supply line 118 and the outlet line 122should be suitable to handle the water operating temperatures present intankless beverage brewing apparatus 100. In one example, the main supplyline 118 and the outlet line 122 may be suitable to handle watertemperatures up to, for example, in the range of about 210° F.

The inside diameter of the inlet line 114, the main supply line 118, andthe outlet line 122 may be in the range of about 10 mm to about 20 mm inone example, or is in the range of about 12 mm in another example. Theinlets and/or outlets of the pressure reducer 116, the spray valve 120,and the hot water spray head 112 may be sized according to the insideand outside diameters of the inlet line 114, the main supply line 118,and the outlet line 122.

The pressure reducer 116 may be a standard pressure reducer device thatreceives water from the local water supply 105 that is at a highpressure and provides water at a lower pressure at its outlet. Thepressure of the local water supply 105 may be, for example, in the rangeof about 20 psi to about 100 psi. Therefore, the pressure reducer 116may preferably be a pressure reducer that is capable of receiving aninput pressure in the range of about 20 psi to about 100 psi andproviding an output pressure in the range of about 1 psi to about 2 psiin one example, or in the range of about 5 psi in another example.Accordingly, the pressure reducer 116 may be used to maintain a lowerwater pressure inside of the main supply line 118 than that inside ofinlet line 114 from the local water supply 105.

In other embodiments, a pressure regulator device (not shown) may beprovided in place of or in combination with the pressure reducer 116 toensure a substantially known and constant pressure inside of the mainsupply line 118.

The spray valve 120 may be a spray valve that may be electrically and/ormanually controlled. The hot water spray head 112 may be any spray heador nozzle capable of delivering, for example, a spray mist 124 that issuitable for brewing tea, coffee, cocoa, or other brewing material.Further, the pressure reducer 116, the spray valve 120, and the hotwater spray head 112 preferably are capable of handling watertemperatures up to, for example, in the range of about 210° F.

The tankless beverage brewing apparatus 100 also may include a heater126 and a temperature sensor 128. Namely, the heater 126 may be arrangedalong a portion of the main supply line 118 and thermally coupled to themain supply line 118 such that any water therein may be heated. Aheating zone 130 is preferably formed along the main supply line 118preferably at the location of the heater 126. The temperature of thewater that is inside the main supply line 118 may be monitored using thetemperature sensor 128 that is located within the heating zone 130. Theheater 126 may include, for example, a resistive or other type of linearheating element. In one example, the heater 126 may be a 900-Watt heaterthat is capable of heating up to in the range of about 210° F. Thelength of the heater 126 and thus the length of the heating zone 130 mayvary and be in the range of about 200 mm to about 300 mm in one example,or in the range of about 250 mm in another example. Heater 126 may bepositioned either before or after spray valve 120.

The tankless beverage brewing apparatus 100 may also include acontroller 160 and a user interface 162. Further, programmed into thecontroller 160 may be a beverage profiles file 164. The controller 160may be any standard controller or microprocessor device that is capableof executing program instructions. The user interface 162 may include,for example, a digital display and push buttons or any other mechanismsby which the user can operate the tankless beverage brewing apparatus100. In one example, the user interface 162 is used to turn the tanklessbeverage brewing apparatus 100 off and on. In another example, the userinterface 162 is used to select the type of beverage to be brewed,beverage container type and/or size, enter the brew temperature,initiate brewing, suspend brewing, and the like. In yet another example,the user interface 162 is used to display health and/or statusinformation about the tankless beverage brewing apparatus 100.

The beverage profiles file 164 may include, for example, brew flow ratesand brew temperatures of different types of beverages. Namely, for eachtype of beverage, the beverage profiles file 164 may include (1) anupper and lower flow rate set point for the spray valve 120 and (2) anupper and lower temperature set point for the heater 126. In oneexample, the beverage profiles file 164 may include a “coffee” entryspecifying for example a flow rate of 1800 ml/3.5 minutes and a brewtemperature of 200° F. In another example, the beverage profiles file164 may include a “green tea” entry specifying a flow rate, for example,of 1200 ml/6 minutes and a brew temperature of 208° F. In yet anotherexample, the beverage profiles file 164 may include another “tea” entryspecifying, for example, a flow rate of 350 ml/2 minutes and a brewtemperature of 140° F.

The tankless beverage brewing apparatus 100 may further include acommunications interface 166. The communications interface 166 may beany wired and/or wireless communication interface for connecting to anetwork (not shown) and by which information may be exchanged with otherdevices (not shown) connected to the network. Examples of wiredcommunication interfaces may include, but are not limited to, USB ports,RS232 connectors, RJ45 connectors, Ethernet, and any combinationsthereof. Examples of wireless communication interfaces may include, butare not limited to, an Intranet connection, Internet, ISM, Bluetooth®technology, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, IEEE 802.11 technology, radio frequency (RF),Infrared Data Association (IrDA) compatible protocols, Local AreaNetworks (LAN), Wide Area Networks (WAN), Shared Wireless AccessProtocol (SWAP), any combinations thereof, and other types of wirelessnetworking protocols.

The communications interface 166 may be used for local or remote accessto the tankless beverage brewing apparatus 100. The communicationsinterface 166 may be used, for example, to install software updates intothe controller 160, to update beverage profiles file 164, and/or tomonitor the health and/or status of the tankless beverage brewingapparatus 100.

When the tankless beverage brewing apparatus 100 is in use, a funnel orbasket 170, which may be used for holding coffee grounds, tea leaves, orany other brewing material, and a carafe 172 is preferably positioned atthe hot water spray head 112, as shown in FIG. 1.

The controller 160 is used to manage the overall operations of thetankless beverage brewing apparatus 100. Namely, the controller 160 iselectrically connected to the spray valve 120, the heater 126, and thetemperature sensor 128. Accordingly, the controller 160 is used tocontrol the spray valve 120 to provide a certain brew flow rate for theselected beverage.

Additionally, using feedback from the temperature sensor 128, thecontroller 160 is used to monitor the temperature of the water withinthe heating zone 130 and thereby control the heater 126 to provide acertain water temperature for the selected beverage. Accordingly, thetankless beverage brewing apparatus 100 provides a continuous andon-demand tankless water heating system.

Referring now to FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of atankless beverage brewing apparatus 100 that includes the digitalcontroller 160 for dynamically varying the water temperature and/or thebrew flow rate of the dispensed beverage and wherein the deliverymechanism may be a hot water spigot 132 instead of the hot water sprayhead 112. In this example, the hot water spigot 132 may be electricallyconnected to the controller 160. At any time, the user may issue acommand from the user interface 162 to open the hot water spigot 132.The controller 160 adjusts the hot water temperature in the heating zone130 to match the pre-programmed brew temperature and then opens the hotwater spigot 132. Likewise, at any time, the user may issue a commandfrom the user interface 162 to close the hot water spigot 132.

In operation and referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the user may placea certain amount of a certain type of coffee grounds, tea leaves, orother brewing material in the funnel or basket 170. Then, using the userinterface 162, the user selects the type of beverage to be brewed (e.g.,the user selects a certain coffee or tea), strength, and/or otherbrewing parameter, and initiates the brewing cycle. Then, the controller160 queries the beverage profiles file 164 for the brew flow rate andbrew temperature of the selected beverage. Then, the controller 160controls the spray valve 120 and the heater 126 to provide the brew flowrate and brew temperature for the selected beverage. More particularly,and in one example, the controller 160 may control the heater 126 usingpulse-width modulation (PWM) or any other well-known technique tomaintain the brew temperature. Further, the controller 160 may controlthe spray valve 120 to create an intermittent water flow (pulses) out ofthe hot water spray head 112 to prevent overflowing the funnel or basket170 and/or for controlling the strength of the brew by pausing the flowof water in a preselected pattern appropriate to the beverage beingbrewed. Additionally, the controller 160 may coordinate the water flowrate (via the spray valve 120) with the heating rate of the heater 126to ensure the proper brew temperature. The flow rate and/or thetemperature may be controlled one way for the hot water spray head 112shown in FIG. 1 and controlled another way for the hot water spigot 132shown in FIG. 2.

Referring now to FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of yet another example ofthe tankless beverage brewing apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 that mayfurther comprise a pressure sensor 136. Namely, the pressure sensor 136may be placed anywhere along the main supply line 118. Alternatively,the pressure sensor 136 may be placed anywhere along the inlet line 114.The output of the pressure sensor 136 may be electrically connected tothe controller 160, whereby the controller 160 may monitor the pressureof the water inside of the main supply line 118, and/or inlet line 114.Because the pressure of the local water supply 105 may vary, thepressure at the output of the pressure reducer 116 may varyproportionately. In this example, the controller 160 may be used tomonitor the water pressure inside of the main supply line 118, and/orinlet line 114, determine the water flow rate, and then calculate thecorrect amount of water to be released from the hot water spray head 112or hot water spigot 132. In this embodiment, in addition to using thetemperature sensor 128 to dynamically control the brew temperature, thecontroller 160 may use the pressure sensor 136 to dynamically controlthe brew flow rate of the tankless beverage brewing apparatus 100. Inone example, based upon feedback from the pressure sensor 136, thecontroller 160 may dynamically control the spray valve 120 to vary thelength and number of pulses (of spray mist 124) during the brewingcycle.

Referring now to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are schematic diagrams of yet anotherexample of the tankless beverage brewing apparatus 100, wherein the flowpath 110 may supply both the hot water spray head 112 and the hot waterspigot 132. In this example, the outlet-end of the main supply line 118may include a branch that supplies two spray valves 120 and two outletlines 122. For example, one leg of the branch supplies a spray valve 120a, an outlet line 122 a, and the hot water spray head 112. The other legof the branch may supply a spray valve 120 b, an outlet line 122 b, andthe hot water spigot 132. FIG. 4 shows the tankless beverage brewingapparatus 100 without the pressure sensor 136, whereas FIG. 5 shows thetankless beverage brewing apparatus 100 with the pressure sensor 136. Inthis example, the heater 126 and the heating zone 130 may be common toboth the hot water spray head 112 and the hot water spigot 132. However,the spray valves 120 a and 120 b may be controlled independently bycontroller 160.

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 illustrate schematic diagrams of still another exampleof the tankless beverage brewing apparatus 100, wherein the hot waterspray head 112 and the hot water spigot 132 may be supplied by separateflow paths that are controlled independently by controller 160. In thisexample, the inlet line 114 may include a branch that supplies two flowpaths 110; namely, flow paths 110 a and 110 b.

For example, one leg of the inlet line 114 may supply the flow path 110a that may include a pressure reducer 116 a, a main supply line 118 a,the spray valve 120 a, the outlet line 122 a, a heater 126 a, atemperature sensor 128 a, and a heating zone 130 a; all supplying thehot water spray head 112. The other leg of the inlet line 114 may supplythe flow path 110 b that may include a pressure reducer 116 b, a mainsupply line 118 b, a spray valve 120 b, an outlet line 122 b, a heater126 b, a temperature sensor 128 b, and a heating zone 130 b; allsupplying the hot water spigot 132.

FIG. 6 shows the flow paths 110 a and 110 b without the pressuresensors, whereas FIG. 7 shows the flow paths 110 a and 110 b withpressure sensors. For example, FIG. 7 shows a pressure sensor 136 a inthe main supply line 118 a of the flow path 110 a as well as a pressuresensor 136 b in the main supply line 118 b of the flow path 110 b.

The spray valve 120 a, the heater 126 a, the temperature sensor 128 a,and the pressure sensor 136 a of the flow path 110 a may be monitoredand/or controlled independently from the spray valve 120 b, the heater126 b, the temperature sensor 128 b, and the pressure sensor 136 b ofthe flow path 110 b to allow simultaneous dispensation of both hot waterfor brewing (via the hot water spray head 112) and the hot water for thehot water spigot 132. For example, the water temperatures for flow paths110 a and 110 b may be different allowing, for example, a pot of coffeeto be brewed at one temperature using the hot water spray head 112,while water of a different temperature may be dispensed from the hotwater spigot 132 for a cup of tea. At any time, the user may issue acommand from the user interface 162 to open the hot water spigot 132.The spray valve 120 b and the heater 126 b are controlled accordingly.Likewise, at any time, the user may issue a command from the userinterface 162 to close the hot water spigot 132.

Referring now to FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method 800, which is anexample of a method of operation of the presently disclosed tanklessbeverage brewing apparatus 100. In particular, the method 800 is amethod of operation with respect to brewing, for example, a pot ofcoffee or tea via the hot water spray head 112. The method 800 mayinclude, but is not limited to, the following steps.

At a step 810, the tankless beverage brewing apparatus 100 is providedand the inlet line 114 is fluidly connected to the local water supply105 and more particularly to the local cold water supply.

At a step 815, using the pressure reducer 116, the water pressure fromthe local water supply 105, which is, for example, about in the range ofabout 60 psi, is reduced to a lower water pressure that is suitable forproper brewing. An example of the lower water pressure may be in therange of about 2 psi.

At a step 820, using the user interface 162, the tankless beveragebrewing apparatus 100 is activated. Initially, the heater 126 may be offand the spray valve 120 may be closed. Then, the user selects the typeof beverage to be brewed and/or enters a desired brew temperature.

At a step 825, based on the selection in the step 820, the controller160 queries the beverage profiles file 164 and initiates the brewingcycle. For example, the beverage profiles file 164 may indicate the brewflow rate and brew temperature for the selected beverage and thecontroller 160 initiates the brewing cycle accordingly.

At a step 830, under the control of the controller 160, the heater 126may be activated and the water heated to the desired brew temperature.For example, the heater 126 may be activated and remains activated untilthe temperature sensor 128 indicates to the controller 160 that thedesired brew temperature is reached.

At a step 835, under the control of the controller 160, the spray valve120 may be controlled to allow water to flow through the flow path 110and out of the hot water spray head 112. For example, to avoid overflow,the spray valve 120 may be opened and closed in an alternating fashionto allow the funnel or basket 170 to drain before refilling until thedesired quantity of beverage is dispensed. At the same time, thecontroller 160 preferably monitors the water temperature via thetemperature sensor 128 and controls (e.g., using PWM) the heater 126 tomaintain the desired brew temperature as the water flows through theflow path 110.

Accordingly, hot water may be dispensed from the hot water spray head112 at the desired brew flow rate and temperature. In so doing, thecoffee grounds, tea leaves, or other brewing material in the funnel orbasket 170 is wetted and the brewed beverage flows into the carafe 172.

At a step 840, the brew flow rate may be adjusted based upon feedbackfrom the pressure sensor 136. For example, the controller 160 maymonitor the pressure sensor 136 and may adjust the brew flow rate viathe spray valve 120 according to the current pressure in the main supplyline 118. In one example, based upon feedback from the pressure sensor136, the controller 160 may dynamically control the spray valve 120 tovary the length and number of pulses (of spray mist 124) during thebrewing cycle.

At a step 845, at the end of a predetermined brewing time, thecontroller 160 may deactivate the heater 126 and closes the spray valve120.

Further, at any time throughout the steps of the method 800, using thecommunications interface 166, an external networked device may be usedto query the health and/or status of the tankless beverage brewingapparatus 100.

In summary and referring now to FIG. 1 through FIG. 8, the presentlydisclosed tankless beverage brewing apparatus 100 may be capable ofbrewing large, commercial quantities of beverages as well as quantitiesas small as a single cup. Namely, the presently disclosed tanklessbeverage brewing apparatus 100 may be supplied directly from the localwater supply 105, the water pressure reduced via the pressure reducer116, and the water heated on-demand using the heater 126, therebyreducing energy usage as compared with conventional commercial beveragebrewing systems that rely on large internal hot water tanks. Further,the controller 160 of the presently disclosed tankless beverage brewingapparatus 100 may use feedback from the temperature sensor 128 and/orthe pressure sensor 136 to dynamically vary the water temperature and/orthe brew flow rate depending on the type of beverage being brewed.

Following long-standing patent law convention, the terms “a,” “an,” and“the” refer to “one or more” when used in this application, includingthe claims. Thus, for example, reference to “a subject” includes aplurality of subjects, unless the context clearly is to the contrary(e.g., a plurality of subjects), and so forth.

Throughout this specification and the claims, the terms “comprise,”“comprises,” and “comprising” are used in a non-exclusive sense, exceptwhere the context requires otherwise. Likewise, the term “include” andits grammatical variants are intended to be non-limiting, such thatrecitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other likeitems that can be substituted or added to the listed items.

For the purposes of this specification and appended claims, unlessotherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, sizes, dimensions,proportions, shapes, formulations, parameters, percentages, parameters,quantities, characteristics, and other numerical values used in thespecification and claims, are to be understood as being modified in allinstances by the term “about” even though the term “about” may notexpressly appear with the value, amount or range. Accordingly, unlessindicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in thefollowing specification and attached claims are not and need not beexact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller as desired,reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurementerror and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the artdepending on the desired properties sought to be obtained by thepresently disclosed subject matter. For example, the term “about,” whenreferring to a value can be meant to encompass variations of, in someembodiments, ±100% in some embodiments ±50%, in some embodiments ±20%,in some embodiments ±10%, in some embodiments ±5%, in some embodiments±1%, in some embodiments ±0.5%, and in some embodiments ±0.1% from thespecified amount, as such variations are appropriate to perform thedisclosed methods or employ the disclosed compositions.

Further, the term “about” when used in connection with one or morenumbers or numerical ranges, should be understood to refer to all suchnumbers, including all numbers in a range and modifies that range byextending the boundaries above and below the numerical values set forth.The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers,e.g., whole integers, including fractions thereof, subsumed within thatrange (for example, the recitation of 1 to 5 includes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5,as well as fractions thereof, e.g., 1.5, 2.25, 3.75, 4.1, and the like)and any range within that range.

Although the foregoing subject matter has been described in some detailby way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity ofunderstanding, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatcertain changes and modifications can be practiced within the scope ofthe appended claims.

That which is claimed:
 1. A tankless beverage brewing apparatus,comprising: a. a controller; b. a flow path having an inlet at one endconnected to a local water supply and one or more outlets at a secondend connected to one or more water delivery mechanisms; c. a spray valvepositioned in the flow path; d. a pressure reducer positioned in theflow path; e. a heater arranged along a portion of the flow path andthermally coupled thereto such that water in the flow path is heatedwhen the heater is activated; f. a pressure sensor positioned in theflow path operable to sense a pressure of the water in the flow path;and g. a temperature sensor positioned in or near the flow path operableto sense a temperature of the water along the portion of the flow pathwhere the heater is arranged there along; and wherein one or more of thespray valve, heater, pressure sensor, and temperature sensor areelectrically connected to the controller.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the controller is operable for dynamically varying at least oneof water temperature, flow rate, and quantity of water through the oneor more water delivery mechanisms, by controlling at least one of thespray valve and heater.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein thecontroller dynamically varies one or more of water temperature and flowrate based on feedback from one or more of the temperature sensor andpressure sensor.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the heatercomprises a linear heating element and is controllable by thecontroller.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more waterdelivery mechanisms comprises at least one of a spray head and a spigot.6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the one or more water deliverymechanisms is electrically connected to the controller.
 7. The apparatusof claim 1 wherein the flow path comprises an inlet line connected atone end to the local water supply and coupled to an inlet of thepressure reducer at the other end; a main supply line coupled to anoutlet of the pressure reducer at one end and coupled to an inlet of thespray valve at the other end; an outlet line coupled to an outlet of thespray valve at one end and coupled to an inlet of the one or more waterdelivery mechanisms at the other end.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the pressure sensor is positioned in the flow path at a pointbetween the pressure reducer and the one or more delivery mechanisms. 9.The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pressure sensor is positioned inthe flow path at a point between the flow path inlet and the pressurereducer.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the spray valve is atleast one of electrically and manually controlled.
 11. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the heater comprises a flow through on-demand heater.12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a user interfaceelectrically connected to the controller.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12wherein the user interface comprises at least one of a display and userinputs.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the user inputs compriseat least one of buttons or a touchscreen.
 15. The apparatus of claim 13wherein the user via the user interface can at least one of turn theapparatus off and on, select a type of beverage to be brewed, thequantity of beverage to be brewed, enter a brew temperature, initiate abrewing, suspend a brewing, program the apparatus, and check healthand/or status information of the apparatus.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the controller comprises at least one a standard controller andmicroprocessor device capable of executing program instructions.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 16 wherein a beverage profiles file is programmedinto the controller, wherein the beverage profiles file comprises atleast one of brew flow rates and brew temperatures for different typesand quantities of brew beverages.
 18. The apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising a communications interface connected to the controller. 19.The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the communications interface comprisesat least one of a wired communications interface and wirelesscommunications interface.
 20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein thecommunications interface is operable for at least one of local andremote access to the controller, wherein the communications interfacecan be used to at least one of install software updates into thecontroller, update beverage profiles file, and monitor the health and/orstatus of the apparatus.
 21. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein thecontroller controls the heater using pulse-width modulation (PWM) tomaintain a desired brew temperature.
 22. The apparatus of claim 2wherein the controller can control the spray valve to create anintermittent water flow out of the one or more water deliverymechanisms.
 23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the controllerdynamically controls the spray valve to vary length and number of pulsesof water from the one or more water delivery mechanisms during a brewingcycle.
 24. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein at least one of the flowrate and temperature can be controlled independently for each of the oneor more water delivery mechanisms.
 25. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinthe flow path comprises a branch to form a second flow path connected toa second water delivery mechanism at its second end.
 26. The apparatusof claim 25 further comprising at least one of a second spray valve,second pressure reducer, second pressure sensor, second temperaturesensor, and second heater, wherein the at least one of the second sprayvalve, second pressure reducer, second pressure sensor, and secondtemperature sensor are positioned in the second flow path and the secondheater is positioned along a portion of the second flow path andthermally coupled thereto.
 27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein thesecond spray valve, second pressure reducer, second pressure sensor,second temperature sensor, and second heater can be monitored and/orcontrolled independently, and therefore the flow rate and/or watertemperature from the second water delivery mechanisms can be dynamicallycontrolled by the controller independently.
 28. A method of operation ofa tankless beverage brewing apparatus, the method comprising: a. fluidlyconnecting the tankless beverage brewing apparatus to a local watersupply via an inlet of a fluid path; b. reducing the water pressure fromthe local water supply via a pressure reducer positioned in the fluidpath; c. activating the tankless beverage brewing apparatus andinitiating a beverage brewing cycle for a desired beverage via a userinterface; d. heating water in the flow path to a desired brewtemperature of the desired beverage via a heater controlled by acontroller, wherein the controller receives feedback from a temperaturesensor connected thereto; e. controlling water flow rate from the waterinlet of the flow path and out of a water delivery mechanism via thecontroller based on the desired beverage, wherein the controller iselectrically connected to a spray valve positioned in the flow path toallow water to flow through the flow path, and wherein the controller isalso electrically connected to a pressure sensor positioned in the flowpath to adjust flow rate; and f. deactivating the heater and closing thespray valve at an end of a predetermined brew time of the desiredbeverage.